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Bright Lives English · Teacher sheet

Louis Braille: Letters You Can Feel

Level A1 (Beginner) · Video 3:10 · 45-minute lesson

brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/louis-braille-letters-you-can-feel/

45-minute lesson plan

TimeStageWhat to do
0–3′Warm-upAsk the class: “Close your eyes and touch this page, a book or your phone. Can you "read" anything with your fingers?” Let a few students answer.
3–13′WordsPre-teach the 5 words with the flashcards: dot, finger, invent, letter, read. Say each word, show the meaning, and ask for a quick example.
13–20′VideoPlay the video (3:10). Students follow the transcript. Play it a second time if needed.
20–28′ComprehensionWorksheet C (or the online Story Challenge): check answers together. Ask “How do you know?”
28–35′Grammarwas / were: the past of is and are. Show “He was only fifteen.”, then do worksheet E together.
35–43′WorksheetStudents do worksheet A, B and D alone or in pairs. Check with the answer key.
43–45′SpeakingIn pairs: “Louis found a new way when reading was hard. What is hard for you in English? What is one new way to try?”

Homework: students finish the lesson online (flashcards + Story Challenge). With your class link, you see who finished.

Words and grammar

  • dot (noun): a very small, round mark. “Every letter was a group of dots.”
  • finger (noun): one of the five long parts of your hand. “He read with his fingers.”
  • invent (verb): to make a new thing for the first time (past: invented). “He invented a new alphabet.”
  • letter (noun): one sign in a word, like A, B or C. “The word cat has three letters.”
  • read (verb): to look at words and understand them (past: read). “Today, blind people all over the world read braille.”

Grammar: was / were — the past of is and are. “He was only fifteen.”

Discussion questions

  1. Louis found a new way when reading was hard. What is hard for you in English? What is one new way to try?
  2. What was the hardest moment in Louis Braille's story? What did Louis Braille do?
  3. Make two sentences about your own life with “was / were”. (From the story: “He was only fifteen.”)

Student worksheet

Name: Date:

A Match the words to their meanings

  1. dot (noun)
  2. finger (noun)
  3. invent (verb)
  4. letter (noun)
  5. read (verb)
  6. tool (noun)
  7. alphabet (noun)
  8. raised (adjective)
  1. a thing you hold in your hand to make or fix something
  2. a very small, round mark
  3. all the letters of a language, in order
  4. higher than the surface around it, so you can feel it
  5. to make a new thing for the first time (past: invented)
  6. one sign in a word, like A, B or C
  7. one of the five long parts of your hand
  8. to look at words and understand them (past: read)

B Complete the sentences from the story

alphabet · read · invented · raised · tool · letters · fingers · dots

  1. At three, Louis hurt his eye with a .
  2. Today, blind people all over the world braille.
  3. Every letter was a group of .
  4. He invented a new .
  5. The word cat has three .
  6. He read with his .
  7. He a new alphabet.
  8. He showed a code of dots.

C Did you understand?

  1. When was Louis Braille born?
    1. In 1809
    2. In 1824
    3. In 1852
    4. In 1900
  2. Louis hurt his eye with a tool when he was three.True / False
  3. How old was Louis when he went to a school in Paris?
    1. Three
    2. Five
    3. Ten
    4. Fifteen
  4. The letters in the school books were very small.True / False
  5. Who showed a code of raised dots at the school?
    1. A man from the army
    2. Louis's father
    3. A doctor
    4. A king
  6. Louis invented his alphabet when he was only fifteen.True / False

D Put the words in order

  1. Every / of / letter / a / dots / group / was

E Grammar: was / were

We use it for the past of is and are. is → was · are → were · I / he / she / it → was · you / we / they → were

Example from the story: He was only fifteen.

  1. At five, Louis blind. (was / were)
  2. The letters in the books very big. (was / were)
  3. In 1824, Louis only fifteen. (was / were)

F Your turn

Retell Louis Braille's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.

Answer key

A. 1b 2g 3e 4f 5h 6a 7c 8d

B. 1 tool · 2 read · 3 dots · 4 alphabet · 5 letters · 6 fingers · 7 invented · 8 raised

C. 1 a · 2 True · 3 c · 4 False · 5 a · 6 True

D. 1 Every letter was a group of dots.

E. 1 was · 2 were · 3 was

Transcript

He was blind at five.

He wanted to read books.

So, at fifteen, he invented letters you can feel.

This is the story of Louis Braille.

Hello, and welcome to Bright Lives English.

Real stories. Real English.

Today's level is A1.

In this story, listen for five new words.

Dot. A dot is a very small, round mark.

Every letter was a group of dots.

Finger. A finger is one of the five long parts of your hand.

He read with his fingers.

Invent. When you invent something, you make a new thing for the first time.

The past is invented.

He invented a new alphabet.

Letter. A letter is one sign in a word.

The word cat has three letters.

The letters in the books were very big.

Read. When you read, you understand the words on a page.

Today, blind people all over the world read braille.

Now, one pattern: was and were.

They are the past of is and are.

He is ten.

He was ten.

The dots are small.

The dots were small.

And in the story: he was only fifteen.

Ready? Let's begin.

Louis Braille was born in France in 1809.

His father had a workshop.

At three, Louis hurt his eye with a tool.

Soon, both his eyes were sick.

At five, Louis was blind.

But he was a clever boy.

He wanted to read and learn.

At ten, Louis went to a school in Paris.

The letters in the books were very big.

He read with his fingers.

It was very slow.

A man from the army came to the school.

He showed a code of raised dots.

But it was too big and hard.

In 1824, Louis was only fifteen.

He invented a new alphabet.

Every letter was a group of dots.

The dots were small.

Later, Louis was a teacher at the school.

He died in 1852.

Today, blind people all over the world read braille with their fingers.

Let's review. Every letter was a group of dots.

He read with his fingers.

He invented a new alphabet.

The letters in the books were very big.

Today, blind people all over the world read braille.

And remember: he was only fifteen.

Louis Braille's story teaches us: when something is hard, find a new way.

Want more practice?

Go to brightlivesenglish.com for flashcards, a worksheet and a quiz.

Please subscribe. See you in the next true story!